Your Adventure, Day by Day

Day1Depart from North America

Fly Out!Relax and enjoy our scheduled flight from North America to London.

Day2Arrive in London

Meet Your Tour DirectorOur 24-hour WorldStrides tour director will meet us at the airport and remain with us until our final airport departure. We will have use of a private coach and driver while touring for the next eight days. We continue on our journey from London to Cambridge Area.

Travel to CambridgeCambridge was an important Roman town because of its location at the first navigable point on the River Cam. Today, the river is more popular for punting than for trade, usually by the students at the city’s famed university.
Our base for the next night will be Cambridge (to book), where breakfast and dinner will be provided at the hotel.

Day3Cambridge

Walking TourWe will take a walking tour and visit King’s College, Trinity College, and Magdalene College, made famous by E.M. Forrester, A.A. Milne, and C.S. Lewis respectively.

St. Mary's ChurchVisit St. Mary’s Church, where you will have the opportunity to ascend the Bell Tower for magnificent views of the city.

King's CollegeVisit King's College, founded in 1441 by Henry VI (1421-71) and one of the 31 colleges in the University of Cambridge. King's has an outstanding academic record and is also world famous for its Chapel and choir. We will visit the Chapel, known for its glorious fan vaulted ceiling and considered the most elegant example of perpendicular architecture in England.

Day4Cambridge – Walsingham – Alyesford Area

National Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of WalsinghamVisit the National Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, a pilgrimage site since medieval times. Despite partial destruction during the Reformation, many parts of the shrine are historic, such as the Slipper Chapel, which is dedicated to St. Catherine, the patron saint of pilgrims to the Holy Land. In the New Chapel, pilgrims can honor the relics of St. Laurence of Rome, St. Thomas Becket, and St. Thomas More, all sealed in the granite altar. Our visit will also include a view of the Annunciation Window and time to follow the Stations of the Cross.

We will continue to Aylesford, our base for the next two nights. Breakfast and dinner will be included at the hotel.

Day5Alyesford and Canterbury

Day Trip to Canterbury

Canterbury CathedralVisit Canterbury Cathedral, a place of pilgrimage for over 800 years. Founded in the 6th century by St. Augustine, it remains one of the oldest standing Anglo-Saxon churches in the world and is one of the oldest Christian churches in England. It became a major pilgrimage destination after the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in 1170.

St. Augustine’s AbbeyExplore St. Augustine’s Abbey, founded in AD 597. The Abbey was initially used as the burial place for the kings of Kent and the early archbishops of Canterbury. After the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, it became, and took on the appearance of, a standard Benedictine abbey.

Back to Alyesford

Day6Oxford and London

Travel to OxfordWith its spectacular architecture and famous scholars, including some of the world’s most important writers, the university is a uniquely integral part of Oxford and of England as a whole.

Bodleian LibraryView the Bodleian Library, the main research library of the University of Oxford and one of the oldest libraries in Europe. The Bodleian is one of six libraries where a copy of each book copyrighted in the United Kingdom must be deposited.

Christ Church CollegeVisit Christ Church College, Oxford’s largest and grandest Renaissance College, which was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey. The college’s Christ Church Cathedral is the smallest in England.

Travel to LondonFor the next three evenings, we will enjoy the convenience of our centrally-located London hotel, where daily breakfast will be included. We will enjoy our evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Day7London

Westminster CathedralAttend Mass at Westminster Cathedral, built in the Early Christian Byzantine style in 1895. It is England’s largest and, many believe, most beautiful Catholic Church.

Westminster AbbeyVisit Westminster Abbey, where English kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Our Blue-Badge Guided Tour will include the Royal Chapels, containing the tombs of the English monarchs, as well as Poets’ Corner, featuring memorials to many famous British literary figures.

Thames River CruiseEnjoy a Thames River Cruise, a relaxing way to view many of London’s most magnificent sights. Our trip will take us past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and under the famous Tower Bridge.

Tower of LondonVisit the Tower of London, one of Britain’s most fascinating and important historical structures. Begun as a fortress by William the Conqueror, the Tower is now primarily associated with the legendary figures imprisoned and executed here over the centuries. Our visit includes the armories, a display of instruments of torture and execution, and the breathtaking Crown Jewels Exhibit.

Harrods
Visit world famous Harrods, a grand department store where shoppers can find almost anything from all over the world. A particular highlight is the Food Hall, which combines luxurious décor with some of the world’s finest food.

DinnerWe will enjoy our evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Day8London

Tyburn Convent ChapelTour Tyburn Convent Chapel and the Shrine of the Martyrs of Tyburn, where we will view the Shrine’s crypt, accompanied by one of the Benedictine cloistered sisters (subject to availability). Perhaps the most celebrated martyr of Tyburn is the young Jesuit priest, St. Edmund Campion, who was put to death by Queen Elizabeth I.

National GalleryVisit the National Gallery, which contains an unrivaled collection of Western art spanning seven centuries, from the late 13th to the early 20th. The largest portion of the collection is devoted to the Italians, including works by da Vinci, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, and Botticelli, but the collection also features works by the Spanish giants El Greco, Goya, and Velázquez. The Flemish-Dutch school is represented by Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Vermeer, Rubens, and Rembrandt; and there is also an immense French impressionist and post-impressionist collection that includes works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cézanne.

St. Paul’s CathedralVisit St. Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren’s Renaissance-style masterpiece. Our visit will include an ascent to the Whispering Gallery, an acoustic marvel in which the faintest whisper can be heard clearly on the opposite side, plus time at the American Memorial Chapel. If we are lucky, we will be here when the massive organ fills the entire cathedral with breathtaking music.

DinnerWe will enjoy our evening meal together in a local restaurant.

Day9Depart for Home

Wheels UpOur rewarding and enjoyable tour comes to an end as our guide accompanies us to the airport on our final day.